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Assembly poll debacle: Blame game spirals in Punjab Congress
Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu have blamed Channi and Sidhu for the party’s poor showing in assembly poll
After a crushing defeat in the assembly elections, a blame game has started in the Punjab Congress with senior leaders holding former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and some central leaders responsible for the rout.
Former Punjab Congress president and campaign committee chairman Sunil Jakhar and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu have blamed Channi and Sidhu for the party’s poor showing in the elections. The AAP swept the polls winning 92 of the 117 assembly seats, pushing the Congress to a distant runner-up position with only 18 seats.
Jakhar said former Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Rawat and Rajya Sabha member Ambika Soni and their choices — Sidhu and Channi — were responsible for the defeat, and called the former chief minister (CM) a “liability whose greed pulled the party down”. The Congress had also declared Channi as its chief ministerial face for the polls just days before polling.
Channi proved a liability, not an asset: Jakhar
Blaming Rawat and Soni for committing the blunder of recommending Channi for the CM’s post, Jakhar said that those who projected him as an asset for the Congress in Punjab and other states were again trying to mislead the leadership to cover up their mistakes. “Channi may be an asset for the lady with 30 years in Rajya Sabha but proved to be a liability for the Congress. His image was shattered after the ED raid on his nephew that yielded crores. How can he be projected as the mascot of the Congress?” he asked on Monday.
The former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president went ballistic following news reports that during the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Sunday to introspect on the assembly poll results, there was a discussion on how the state leaders in Punjab had failed to support Channi, an “asset” created by the central leadership.
Jakhar said if Channi was such a national treasure, why he was not invited to the CWC meeting, and why he was not used (as a campaigner) in Uttar Pradesh after the Punjab elections were over. “If they have not learnt their lesson and still think of him as an asset, they might as well appoint him as the PPCC president to keep intact the vote bank that he has been able to secure for the party,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ravneet Singh Bittu, in a video posted on social media, also blamed the mistakes of party leaders, particularly Sidhu’s conduct, and accusations that the Congress leaders were in cahoots with Badals. “People defeated us because of nalayaki (inefficiency) of our leaders… two-three leaders kept fighting over the chief minister’s post,” he said, urging the party workers not to get demoralised and start preparing for the 2024 parliamentary polls.
Deep divide in state Congress
The fresh feud, triggered by the Congress’ poor showing, has seen former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla spew fire against the state and central leaders in the past three days.
While Randhawa blamed Sidhu and Jakhar, accusing them of indiscipline and not performing their duties, Aujla pointed the finger at Sidhu’s repeated questioning of Channi’s decisions. Balbir Sidhu said the Congress leadership scripted the party’s rout by giving power to turncoats, and the decline of its prospects started with the anointment of Sidhu as the state chief in Jakhar’s place.
The bad blood underscores the deep divide in the state unit whose election campaign was also derailed by the failure of party leaders, particularly Sidhu and Channi, to work together. These latest fireworks are likely to escalate further in the coming weeks as several of these leaders, who have pinned the blame on Sidhu, do not seem to be in favour of his continuation. Soni could not be contacted whereas Channi did not answer calls.
‘Pick CLP leader through election’
Jakhar said the party should pick the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the new state assembly through election. “The party needs a credible face — someone who is the choice of the newly elected legislators and can take everyone along. The MLAs should be called, and they can decide their leader then and there,” he said. The CLP leader is to be elected from among the new MLAs.
Meanwhile, Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary has called a meeting of the 69 party candidates from Malwa region of the state in Chandigarh on Tuesday for feedback and to introspect its defeat in the polls. The party won in just two assembly segments — Abohar and Gidderbaha — in the region, which was swept by the AAP with 66 seats.
